On Thursday, March 31, she will walk through the doors of the township offices on Lakeville Road for the last time as she is set to retire from her position.

“I feel honored and humbled that I have been allowed to serve as long as I have,” Ferguson said. “It has been a wonderful experience. My co-workers have been great, our administrators have been great and I thank the residents for allowing me to serve them for this many years.”

Ferguson plans on spending her days being with her husband of 47 years, Tom, and spending time with her two grandchildren, Kaitlynne, 10 and Ava, 6, taking them on day and overnight trips.

“We would like to spend some time with them and do it on a day-by-day basis,” Ferguson said.

She added she never felt pressured by her husband to retire, even after he retired four years ago. She said her first thoughts and considerations about retiring began last fall.

“I started thinking life is getting short and the grand kids are growing up and we don’t spend as much time with my son and daughter-in-law, my sisters and the rest of the family,” she said.

She singled out March 31 as her last day in office because it was near the end of the fiscal year for Addison Township.

“Hopefully we can get things put to bed for 2010 and whomever comes in can start fresh and take it from there,” she said.

Ferguson began working for the township in November 1986 as part of the building department, supervisors office and the assessing department.

She said one of the hardest things for her when she first started was the assessing part of her job. However, she relied on help from Oakland County and helped maneuver township residents through one of the biggest building phases in township history in 1987 when nearly 80 homes were built.

In 1992, she was appointed to the deputy treasurer position by former Township treasurer Ray Terry.

Since she began, Ferguson has gone through four township supervisors, two clerks and two treasurers.

One of her most memorable experiences came in 1988 when she assisted with her first election with voter registration and voting.

“It was quite a controversial election,” she said. “We were here all night and left at 8 a.m. the following morning after election day and went home, showered, and came back to work around 10 a.m.”

The one thing she will miss about coming to work is the daily interactions with individuals who come in looking for help.

“You can kind of reach out and help them, especially in extenuating circumstances,” she said. “You feel like you tried to help them out..it’s rewarding.”

She would like to thank Terry and current treasurer Dan Alberty for the faith they showed in her abilities to get the job done.

“I’m extremely grateful to him (Terry) for the opportunity and to Mr. Alberty to reappoint me twice,” she said. “I consider myself blessed and it has been a pleasure to serve the township residents, administers and it has been an enjoyable experience.”